The Rio Tinto Company Limited ( RTC ) was one of the founding companies of the Rio Tinto Group conglomerate, which was responsible of the exploitation of the Riotinto-Nerva mining basin in Minas de Riotinto between 1873 and 1954.
165-606: It was founded in 1873 by British capitalists to take over the exploitation of a series of sites in the Riotinto-Nerva mining basin that they had acquired from the Spanish State that same year. During the following decades, the extraction of minerals in the area experienced a major growth, with the development of various mining and metallurgical activities. Under British exploitation, the Riotinto mines became "a world reference". The RTC
330-604: A Social Club or even a Presbyterian church . Meanwhile, in the original Spanish town, the church or the Plaza de la Constitución — where years before the massacre of the " Año de los tiros " had taken place — ended up being buried under the slag from the excavations. Huelva also underwent an important development under the English influence. The numerous workshops and facilities built by the RTC that employed more than seven hundred workers, such as
495-456: A metric gauge , came to have a main line of more than 80 kilometers in length. Throughout the route, the single track was predominant, although between Río Tinto-Estación and Marín there was a dual track section due to the intense traffic. The main line ran parallel to the course of the Tinto River , with a winding route and an average gradient of 1.176%, although in its last section it ran over
660-551: A severe economic crisis that would eventually affect the business. From 1931 onwards, the mining basin went through a period of great labor and social conflict. The outbreak of the Civil War , in 1936, caused new difficulties for the company. From very early on, the revolt forces imposed embargoes on the production of pyrites or diverted exports to ports in Axis countries , especially to Nazi Germany. The German company Hisma-Rowak channeled
825-520: A budget cost of 767,190 pounds sterling at the time, a figure lower than expected. A year later, a commercial pier began operating in Huelva, built on the waters of the Odiel river . The infrastructure was made of iron and wood, consisting of three floors and with a length of 226 meters. The route had a track gauge of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6.0 in) , tuvo una longitud de 83,67 kilómetros and had up to
990-553: A century, it was one of the most heavily-used mining railways in Spain. Likewise it had a large fleet of cars and engines, to the point of becoming the second largest in the country after the Renfe . The route closed to public traffic in 1984. After several years the abandoned infrastructure was subject to looting, so in the late 1980s action was taken to recover the historic railway line and return it to service. This work would be carried out in
1155-580: A dozen stations. Some branches were later added to the mainline to link it with the area's ore deposits and industrial facilities, a network totalling almost 360 km (220 mi). The track started at the company's mining complex and ran parallel to the course of the Tinto River, until it reached the port of Huelva. In 1896, with the Seville-Huelva track already operational, a junction was built at Las Mallas railway station to carry out transfers between
1320-512: A flat and smooth area. In any case, the orographical difficulties of the area led to the construction of up to 8 bridges and 5 tunnels, as well as numerous trenches. Initially, a dozen stations or sidings were built to regulate the line's traffic, to which new ones would be added later with the construction of the branch lines. Among all of them, the Río Tinto-Estación complex stood out, which constituted an important railway junction where
1485-611: A hereditary baronet of the United Kingdom. In 1885, Sir Nathan Rothschild, 2nd Baronet , was granted the hereditary peerage title of Baron Rothschild in the Peerage of the United Kingdom . This title is currently held by the 5th Baron Rothschild . The Rothschild banking family of England was founded in 1798 by Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777–1836), who first settled in Manchester but then moved to London. Nathan Mayer von Rothschild,
1650-633: A large fleet of rolling stock. The railway was built between 1873 and 1875 by the British Rio Tinto Company Limited (RTC), that sought to provide maritime access to the minerals extracted from ore deposits in the Riotinto-Nerva mining basin . For much of its route, the track ran parallel to the course of the Tinto River , although in its last stage it ran alongside the Iberian-gauge Seville-Huelva railway . For over
1815-587: A process that lasted years, the Rothschilds finally bought the ownership of the mines from the state in 1873. The acquisition of the mines was accompanied by a state concession to build a railway line to connect them with the port of Huelva and thus allow the transport of the extracted minerals to the coast. The construction of the railroad began in June 1873 by the Rio Tinto Company. The engineer in charge of designing
SECTION 10
#17328585080051980-629: A provisional Italian government. Because of the family's close political connections with Austria and France, Adolphe Carl von Rothschild [ fr ] was caught in a delicate position. He chose to take temporary sanctuary in Gaeta with the last Neapolitan king, Francis II of the Two Sicilies . However, the Rothschild branches in London, Paris, and Vienna were not prepared nor willing to financially support
2145-556: A rapid growth in the area and even in Huelva. The reason behind the private interest in these mines has its origin in the new central laws of 1849 and 1859, overcoming a previous interventionist regime to move to a new one that greatly favored private initiative. But it was really the Ley de Bases de 29 de diciembre de 1868 sobre minas and the Ley de 19 de octubre de 1869 that favored the creation of private and industrial trading companies. Thus, on February 14, 1873, after an unsuccessful auction,
2310-453: A single subversive shout, nor did they utter a provocation or an act that would disturb the troops or the Authorities. —"The events of Rio Tinto". Diario la Coalición Republicana , 1888. On February 4, 1888, shortly after the arrival of the new general manager Mr. William Rich, a demonstration of miners and farmers protesting against the fumes of the ''teleras'' and the poor working conditions
2475-754: A strike began in the Cuenca Minera that provoked the Civil Governor to station two companies of the General Pavía Regiment in Huelva, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Ulpiano Sánchez. The following day, in spite of the mediation attempts of the Civil Guard , violent attempts take place, the City Council and the manager of the William Rich Company do not accept any of the conditions and probably alert
2640-617: A year and only released after a substantial ransom was paid by his family. After Louis was allowed to leave the country in March 1939, the Nazis placed the firm of S M von Rothschild under compulsory administration. Nazi officers and senior staff from Austrian museums also emptied the Rothschild family estates of all their valuables. Following the war, the Austrian Rothschilds were unable to reclaim much of their former assets and properties. Later,
2805-583: A £5 million (equal to £440 million in 2023) loan to the Prussian government, and the issuing of bonds for government loans formed a mainstay of his bank's business. He gained a position of such power in the City of London that by 1825–26 he was able to supply enough coin to the Bank of England to enable it to avert a market liquidity crisis. Rothschild family banking businesses pioneered international high finance during
2970-595: Is a complicated business, mainly because of the fanatics and extremists – and I am talking about both sides. I think you have fanatics in Israel. ... In general I am not in contact with politicians. I spoke once with Netanyahu . I met once with an Israeli finance minister, but the less I mingle with politicians the better I feel." Due to a dispute with the Israeli tax authorities, the baron refused to visit Israel. But his widow Ariane de Rothschild often visits Israel where she manages
3135-648: Is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jewish noble banking family originally from Frankfurt . The family's documented history starts in 16th century Frankfurt; its name is derived from the family house, Rothschild, built by Isaak Elchanan Bacharach in Frankfurt in 1567. The family rose to prominence with Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), a court factor to the German Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel in the Free City of Frankfurt , Holy Roman Empire, who established his banking business in
3300-574: Is displayed the letter Dorothy de Rothschild wrote to then Prime Minister Shimon Peres expressing her intention to donate a new building for the Supreme Court. The Rothschilds also established the " Yad Hanadiv " philanthropic foundation in 1958. Interviewed by Haaretz in 2010, Baron Benjamin Rothschild , who was a Swiss-based member of the banking family, said that he supported the Israeli–Palestinian peace process : "I understand that it
3465-627: Is evidence that the Romans would have left more than fifteen million tons of slag in the Riotinto area during a period characterized by new extraction techniques with furnaces and new tools — such as norias or the Archimedes' screw — because, when the phreatic level was exceeded, it was necessary to drain the numerous subsoil waters. Centuries later, the Almohads did not work much on the extraction of minerals (blue vitriol and green vitriol) but they worked on
SECTION 20
#17328585080053630-485: Is no book about them that is both revealing and accurate. Libraries of nonsense have been written about them... A woman who planned to write a book entitled Lies about the Rothschilds abandoned it, saying: 'It was relatively easy to spot the lies, but it proved impossible to find out the truth.'" Johnson writes that, unlike the court factors of earlier centuries, who had financed and managed European noble houses, but often lost their wealth through violence or expropriation,
3795-418: Is presumed that they were buried under slag in one of the mines in the area. The tragedy, which caused national and even international commotion, can be considered as one of the first environmental demonstrations. Despite all this, the teleras were not banned in Spain until years later, because even though that same year a Royal Decree was issued by Minister José Luis Albareda which urged its disappearance, it
3960-554: Is rare in Germany. Families by country: The five sons of Mayer Amschel Rothschild were elevated to the Austrian nobility by Emperor Francis I of Austria , and they were all granted the Austrian hereditary title of Freiherr ( baron ) on 29 September 1822. The British branch of the family was elevated by Queen Victoria , who granted the hereditary title of baronet (1847) and later
4125-404: The Austrian nobility by Emperor Francis I of Austria . The remaining son, Nathan , was elevated in 1818. All of them were granted the Austrian hereditary title of Freiherr ( baron ) on 29 September 1822. As a result, some members of the family used the nobiliary particle de or von before their surname to acknowledge the grant of nobility. In 1847, Anthony de Rothschild was made
4290-526: The Banco de España . The operation was approved by Franco on August 14 and cost £7.66 million (about 1000 million pesetas at the time). Two-thirds of the assets passed into the hands of Spanish private capital, although RTC would keep the remaining third. On October 28 of the same year, the Compañía Española de las Minas de Río Tinto (CEMRT) was incorporated, assuming ownership of the sites and facilities. For
4455-702: The British South Africa Company . Leopold de Rothschild (1845–1917) administered Rhodes's estate after his death in 1902 and helped to set up the Rhodes Scholarship scheme at the University of Oxford . In 1873, de Rothschild Frères in France and N M Rothschild & Sons of London joined with other investors to acquire the Spanish government's money-losing Rio Tinto copper mines. The new owners restructured
4620-664: The Caesarea Foundation . She says: "It is insulting that the state [Israel] casts doubt on us. If there is a family that does not have to prove its commitment to Israel, it's ours." Primarily due to the generosity and influence of Baron Edmond James de Rothschild, HaNadiv (the Benefactor), on the history of the Land of Israel and the State of Israel, a tradition exists of naming cities, towns and other settlements in Israel in honor of members of
4785-507: The Casa Colón , which ended up becoming headquarters for company offices, the disappeared Hospital Inglés, or the huge Rio Tinto Pier located on the Odiel river. During the early years, the railroad was built in order to provide a cheap and fast outlet for the ore. By 1875, there was already a railway line linking the mine itself with the nearest exit to the sea: the port of Huelva. Thus, most of
4950-618: The Conservative Party for the districts of Huelva and Valverde del Camino with the idea that these, once elected deputies, would support the company in Madrid. In Huelva province, it developed similar initiatives. For instance, in 1890 it actively supported along with Tharsis a "mining" candidacy to the Provincial Deputation formed by José María Parejo Bécquer and Vicente Ferrer Ramírez Cruzado. The joint purpose of this initiative
5115-547: The Duke of Wellington's armies across Europe, as well as arranging the payment of British financial subsidies to their continental allies. In 1815 alone, the Rothschilds provided £9.8 million (equivalent to about £850 million in 2023) in subsidy loans to Britain's continental allies. The brothers helped coordinate Rothschild activities across the continent, and the family developed a network of agents, shippers and couriers to transport gold across war-torn Europe. The family network
Rio Tinto Company Limited - Misplaced Pages Continue
5280-492: The First Republic (practically saved from bankruptcy by this sale) for 94,000,000 pesetas . However, it is worth mentioning that the foreign presence in the area dated back to the 18th century, with leasing companies such as Robert Wolters. The take-off of industrialization in highly developed countries had led various companies to seek new minerals and deposits for their growth. Likewise, the increase in employment needs caused
5445-584: The First World War . However, what was carried out during this period, between 1915 and 1918, was a renewal of the rail track using 65 pounds rails manufactured by the Altos Hornos de Vizcaya . The track was overhauled for the second time in 1935, although the process would take more than twenty years. In 1931, the Riotinto Railway got a major boost with the arrival of British engineer George Rice, who
5610-630: The Holocaust , some of them moving to the United States, and returning to Europe only after the war. In 1999, the government of Austria agreed to return to the Rothschild family some 250 art treasures looted by the Nazis and absorbed into state museums after the war. The C M de Rothschild & Figli bank arranged substantial loans to the Papal States and to various Kings of Naples plus the Duchy of Parma and
5775-472: The Huelva estuary , turned the company into one of the largest in all of Europe and — in the words of businessman and historian David Avery — made Riotinto (in 1884) "the largest mining center in the world". By the late 1880s, control of the Riotinto company was transferred to the Rothschild family, who bet on increasing the scale of the mining workings. At its peak, Riotinto became a small English colony thanks to
5940-524: The Nazis and flee the country. Their Rothschild palaces , a collection of vast palaces in Vienna built and owned by the family, were confiscated, plundered and destroyed by the Nazis. The palaces were famous for their sheer size and for their huge collections of paintings, armour , tapestries and statues (some of which were restored to the Rothschilds by the Austrian government in 1999). All family members escaped
6105-623: The Parc Edmond de Rothschild (Edmond de Rothschild Park), is also named after its founder. The Rothschilds also played a significant part in the funding of Israel's governmental infrastructure. James A. de Rothschild financed the Knesset building as a gift to the State of Israel and the Supreme Court of Israel building was donated to Israel by Dorothy de Rothschild . Outside the President's Chamber
6270-483: The Russo-Japanese War . The London consortium's issue of Japanese war bonds would total £11.5 million (at 1907 currency rates; £1.11 billion in 2012 currency terms). The name of Rothschild became synonymous with extravagance and great wealth; and the family was renowned for its art collecting, for its palaces, as well as for its philanthropy. By the end of the century, the family owned, or had built, at
6435-714: The Sociedad Minera y Metalúrgica de Peñarroya (SMMP) to supply about 19,000 tons of coal annually, relying on the railway network of the MZA . Several years later, in 1917, the SMMP and the RTC participated alongside other actors in the founding of the Sociedad Española de Construcciones Electromecánicas , a company that the Rio Tinto company supplied with significant quantities of copper for its later metallurgical treatment. Added to all this
6600-537: The fall of France during the Second World War led to the seizure of the property of the French Rothschilds under German occupation. Despite having their bank restored to them at the end of the war, the French Rothschilds were powerless in 1982 as the family business was nationalised by the socialist government of newly elected President François Mitterrand . In addition, The New York Times wrote that
6765-527: The hereditary peerage title of Baron Rothschild (1885). The Rothschilds already possessed a significant fortune before the start of the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815), and the family had gained preeminence in the bullion trade by this time. From London in 1813 to 1815, Nathan Mayer Rothschild was instrumental in almost single-handedly financing the British war effort, organising the shipment of bullion to
Rio Tinto Company Limited - Misplaced Pages Continue
6930-487: The railway station , changed the appearance of the city and contrasted with the rise of a new bourgeoisie of both Spaniards and foreigners who were linked to the company. The power of the company became so strong in the city that the civil buildings depended on the interests of the company. Proof of this are the Reina Victoria Neighborhood , as a garden city that housed part of its employees; the construction of
7095-401: The unrestricted submarine warfare conducted by Germany severely disrupted the export of pyrite to the major North American market, that until then was very dependent on the mineral coming from Spain. Added to this was that international pyrite prices plummeted with the end of the war, reducing RTC's profits. The mining strike of 1920 led to massive layoffs and damaged the company's image among
7260-532: The 1760s. Unlike most previous court factors, Rothschild managed to bequeath his wealth and established an international banking family through his five sons, who established businesses in Paris, Frankfurt, London, Vienna, and Naples. The family was elevated to noble rank in the Holy Roman Empire and the United Kingdom. During the 19th century, the Rothschild family possessed the largest private fortune in
7425-416: The 1990s, around the time when the popular Tourist Mining Train was introduced. In the 21st century a small 11 km (6.8 mi)-long railway section is kept operational for tourist and recreational purposes. The remaining route has been either abandoned or dismantled. Historically, the territory of the Huelva has been rich in ore deposits of various types, as was the case of the Riotinto mines. During
7590-431: The Australian company Consolidated Zinc to form the Rio Tinto-Zinc Corporation , branching out to other parts of the world. The area of the Iberian Pyrite Belt had already been exploited for more than 3000 years — in the Chalcolithic and by peoples such as Tartessians , Phoenicians and Romans , who extracted iron pyrites, copper, silver and other metals from them. As a result of the metallurgical operations, there
7755-407: The British and French financial firms merged under the leadership of David René de Rothschild . There are two branches of the family connected to France. The first was the branch of James Mayer de Rothschild (1792–1868), known as "James", who established de Rothschild Frères in Paris; he married his niece Betty von Rothschild . Following the Napoleonic Wars, he played a major role in financing
7920-408: The British branch, plus Bank Rothschild AG, the Swiss branch, set up a representative banking office in Frankfurt. By the start of the 20th century, the introduction of national taxation systems had ended the Rothschilds' policy of operating with a single set of commercial account records, which resulted in the various branches gradually going their own separate ways as independent banks. The system of
8085-411: The Grand Duchy of Tuscany. However, in the 1830s, Naples followed Spain with a gradual shift away from conventional bond issues that began to affect the bank's growth and profitability. The Unification of Italy in 1861, with the ensuing decline of the Italian aristocracy who had been the Rothschilds' primary clients, eventually brought about the closure of their Naples bank, due to a forecasted decline in
8250-411: The Paris Rothschild family remained involved in the family business, becoming a major force in international investment banking. The Paris Rothschilds have since led the Thomson Financial League Tables in Investment Banking Merger and Acquisition deals in the UK, France and Italy. James Mayer de Rothschild 's other son, Edmond James de Rothschild (1845–1934), was very much engaged in philanthropy and
8415-441: The RTC management. In addition to the Riotinto mines, the company expanded its operations to Africa in the 1920s. After the Spanish Civil War , the political and economic context in Spain became much more adverse, conditioning the future of the business. In 1954, the company's assets in Huelva were divested and sold to a local consortium, thus creating the Compañía Española de Minas de Río Tinto . Meanwhile, in 1962, RTC merged with
SECTION 50
#17328585080058580-463: The RTC were difficult: the shareholders had to make large investments and face strong criticism for the lack of profits. Once this initial stage was over, the situation underwent a considerable change. The British company — having obtained the rights to exploit the copper, silver and gold of the mines — initially brought about the resurgence of the region by opening new exploitation areas and developing inland mining. Its production, which left Spain through
8745-406: The RTC were of British origin, while the rest of the staff was composed of employees of native origin. In Spain, the company's structure was divided into "departments" that were in charge of different areas: personnel, management, subsidiaries, workshops, railroads, mineral exports, etc. For many years RTC's main facilities were located within the territory of the Riotinto-Nerva mining basin and in
8910-482: The RTC, the fact of divesting its Spanish assets was not frowned upon, given that the Riotinto operations were already beginning to show signs of depletion. Moreover, the British company was the majority shareholder in the company, where it controlled 33% of its capital. With the capital obtained from the sale, the company made investments in Australia, Canada and the United States, where it would exploit uranium and oil deposits. This expansion of its business, in addition to
9075-459: The Rio Tinto Company Limited was one of the leading companies in Spain in terms of net assets . During this period, the company implemented a reform plan that included purchasing machinery for a greater automation of the operations and the construction of new industrial plants to treat the minerals. Up to the early 20th centur, the exploitation was very profitable, but by the 1920's the situation had turned upside down. During World War I (1914-1918).
9240-409: The Riotinto Railway passenger services were closed, as well as the "workers' trains" that transported employees to their workplaces. This was due to the widespread use of the automobile as a means of private transportation and the loss-making nature of these services for the owner of the railway. A few years later, in 1978, the branches going to Nerva and Zalamea la Real were closed for good. In 1974,
9405-440: The Rothschild family. Six of these places are grouped in the same vicinity, on the Sharon plain , while the others are scattered throughout the country. They are, listed in order of founding: Since the late 19th century, the family has taken a low-key public profile, donating many famous estates, as well as vast quantities of art, to charity, and generally eschewing conspicuous displays of wealth. Today, Rothschild businesses are on
9570-426: The Rothschilds "grossly misjudged the opportunities directly across the Atlantic" and quoted Evelyn de Rothschild as saying that despite the accomplishments made by the various branches of the family in international high finance for over 200 years, "we never seized the initiative in America and that was one of the mistakes my family made." In 1816, four of the five sons of Mayer Amschel Rothschild were elevated to
9735-422: The Spanish public. An additional issue, even during the Primo de Rivera dictatorship , involved paying taxes to the Treasury. As a result of its close ties with high political spheres, the RTC was engaged in systematic tax fraud against the Spanish Treasury during its first decades of existence. In 1928 a former employee of the company who worked at Casa Colón, Harry Pilkington, denounced to the Ministry of Finance
9900-411: The State also ceded land in the public domain and authorized compulsory expropriations for reasons of public utility. The Rio Tinto Company Limited reached an agreement with the operating company of the Buitrón railway for the transportation of construction materials, also using the facilities that this company owned in San Juan del Puerto for the unloading of railway material. The slag resulting from
10065-440: The State so that the British company could build a railroad linking Riotinto with the port of Huelva. Construction of the line was started in June 1873. Rio Tinto Company Limited's board of directors met for the first time in London on March 31, 1873, under the chairmanship of Hugh Matheson . One of its first decisions was the construction of a railway line, under the advice of the engineer George Barclay Bruce . The first years of
SECTION 60
#173285850800510230-489: The administration and the government. Between 1873 and 1904, these functions were performed by Gabriel Rodríguez and his son Antonio, being succeeded from 1905 by José Valero Hervás. During the latter's period, the influence of the Rio Tinto Company in the capital was at its peak. Thanks to these "Madrid anchorages" the company was able to assume a course of action more in accordance with its own interests and to operate independently from other mining companies. Its influence within
10395-407: The ancient mining works carried out in Roman times was used as track ballast — because it was abundant in the Riotinto basin. The Riotinto railway was officially inaugurated on July 28, 1875, and started operations by early August of the same year. Due to the rush of the RTC for its commissioning, the works proceeded swiftly. Construction was completed three months ahead of schedule and also at
10560-462: The area since the beginning of the century, but with the arrival of the English their use increased considerably and it is estimated that around 500 tons per year were released into the air. This had a certain national resonance, and the population in the province was divided between humistas ("pro-smoke") who defended their use as a symbol of progress and antihumistas ("anti-smoke") who condemned them for their extremely high polluting effect (in fact,
10725-419: The area, did not raise concerns about people's health. That is to say, to a certain extent, it "legalized" the use of the calcinations regardless of several deaths of workers in the area caused by them — deaths that the Company's doctors attributed to congenital diseases of the workers and not externally caused ("lack of life" according to their own reports) and, of course, not the result of the mines. Meanwhile,
10890-449: The arts, and he was a leading proponent of Zionism . His grandson, Baron Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild , founded in 1953 the LCF Rothschild Group , a private bank. Since 1997, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild chairs the group. The group has €100bn of assets in 2008 and owns many wine properties in France ( Château Clarke , Château des Laurets ), in Australia, or in South Africa. In 1961, the 35-year-old Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild purchased
11055-400: The bank was able to supply enough coin to the Bank of England to enable it to avert a liquidity crisis. Nathan Mayer's eldest son, Lionel de Rothschild (1808–1879), succeeded him as head of the London branch. Under Lionel, the bank financed the British government's 1875 purchase of Egypt 's interest in the Suez Canal . The Rothschild bank also funded Cecil Rhodes in the development of
11220-465: The banking fraternity in general. By this means, Jewish financiers obtained an increasing share of international finance during the middle and last quarter of the 19th century. The head of the whole group was the Rothschild family..." It also says: "Of more recent years, non-Jewish financiers have learned the same cosmopolitan method, and, on the whole, the control is now rather less than more in Jewish hands than formerly." Mayer Rothschild successfully kept
11385-494: The bonds on the crest of a short bounce in the market in 1817 for a 40% profit. Given the sheer power of leverage the Rothschild family had at their disposal, this profit was an enormous sum. Nathan Mayer Rothschild started his business in Manchester in 1806 and gradually moved it to London, where in 1809 he acquired the location at 2 New Court in St. Swithin's Lane, City of London , where it operates today; he established N M Rothschild & Sons in 1811. In 1818, he arranged
11550-424: The capital to transfer the army companies to Riotinto. The morning of February 4, a new demonstration took place with the arrival of people from the nearby town of Nerva and neighboring areas, and a delegation even went up to the Town Hall to present their claims. The town's Plaza de la Constitución is full of workers, women and children, and it is estimated that there were more than twelve thousand people from all over
11715-459: The centre of the Rothschild coat of arms. The family's ascent to international prominence began in 1744, with the birth of Mayer Amschel Rothschild in Frankfurt am Main , Germany. He was the son of Amschel Moses Rothschild (born circa 1710), a money changer who had traded with the Prince of Hesse . Born in the " Judengasse ", the ghetto of Frankfurt , Mayer developed a finance house and spread his empire by installing each of his five sons in
11880-492: The city of Huelva, although starting in the 1920s, the company began to own mines in North America and Africa. Besides the mining sites, it also controlled industrial plants, auxiliary facilities, warehouses, offices, houses and guest houses, country estates, etc. Within Spanish territory, it owned a railway network with a total length of 360 kilometers, including the main track, branch lines and various secondary tracks. Part of
12045-452: The close involvement of the Rothschilds in the occasion. Major 19th-century businesses founded with Rothschild family capital include: The family funded Cecil Rhodes in the creation of the African colony of Rhodesia . From the late 1880s onwards, the family took over control of the Rio Tinto mining company. The Japanese government approached the London and Paris families for funding during
12210-409: The closure of the line, the facilities were abandoned and underwent uncontrolled dismantling, affecting both the railway tracks and the rolling stock parked in the locomotive depot at Zarandas . Many stations on the line were seriously deteriorated, while the historic facilities of Río Tinto-Estación and Huelva ended up disappearing for the most part after being dismantled. In addition, some sections of
12375-469: The company Club Med , after he had visited a resort and enjoyed his stay. His interest in Club Med was sold off by the 1990s. In 1973, he bought out the Bank of California , selling his interests in 1984 before it was sold to Mitsubishi Bank in 1985. The second French branch was founded by Nathaniel de Rothschild (1812–1870). Born in London, he was the fourth child of the founder of the British branch of
12540-766: The company and turned it into a profitable business. By 1905, the Rothschild interest in Rio Tinto amounted to more than 30 percent. In 1887, the French and British Rothschild banking houses loaned money to, and invested in, the De Beers diamond mines in South Africa, becoming its largest shareholders. The London banking house continued under the management of Lionel Nathan de Rothschild (1882–1942) and his brother Anthony Gustav de Rothschild (1887–1961), and then to Sir Evelyn de Rothschild (1931–2022). In 2003, following Sir Evelyn's retirement as head of N M Rothschild & Sons of London,
12705-495: The company to build several industrial facilities since the late 19th century, dedicated to the processing of ore. These included a sulfuric acid factory, a metallurgical plant ( Fundición Bessemer ) and a classification plant ( Lavadoras ). Likewise, a network of auxiliary facilities was set up: warehouses, ore loading bays, workshops, a railway network and branch lines, power plants, dams and reservoirs, etc. Over time, Riotinto became an industrial center of great importance. By
12870-469: The company, which caused great unrest among disadvantaged sectors and, after numerous protests, led the RTC to implement a fare system. There were special services, the "workers' trains", which transported technicians and workers from the various towns to their workplaces. These "workers' trains" only ran in the mining area and ran several times a day, both to and from the mine. In addition to occasional trips to Huelva, RTC employees and their families also used
13035-441: The company. The party of the dictatorship came to describe the company as a "colonizer", while Franco himself called the Riotinto mines "an economic Gibraltar of Spain". From some areas, the idea of nationalizing the sites began to be openly promoted. This coincided in time with the outbreak of World War II , which severely affected RTC's traditional markets to the point that by 1941 its turnover had fallen by about 53%. Faced with
13200-423: The construction of railways and the mining business that helped make France an industrial power. By 1980, the Paris business employed about 2,000 people and had an annual turnover of 26 billion francs (€4.13 billion or $ 5 billion in the currency rates of 1980). — Wilhelm I , Emperor of Germany, on visiting Château de Ferrières . However, the Paris business suffered a near death blow in 1982, when
13365-417: The continued fraud that the company had committed between 1923 and 1925. The chairman of the board of directors, Auckland Geddes , tried to reach a reserved agreement with the then minister, José Calvo Sotelo , but the latter rejected this possibility and preferred to take the matter through the courts. A tough legal battle ensued, resulting in a first sentence to pay 750,000 pounds sterling in taxes based on
13530-566: The country: The company had its headquarters at number 3 Lombard Street in London , with a representative office at number 8, Calle de Ventura de la Vega in Madrid . Its administrative offices were located in the Huelva municipality of Minas de Riotinto. During the early 1930s, the Riotinto offices were located in the Casa de Dirección . Within the business organization, the managers, technicians and engineers of
13695-540: The creation of a network of agents, couriers and shippers, the bank was able to provide funds to the armies of the Duke of Wellington in Portugal and Spain, therefore funding the war. The providing of other innovative and complex financing for government projects formed a mainstay of the bank's business for the better part of the century. N M Rothschild & Sons' financial strength in the City of London became such that, by 1825–26,
13860-530: The deposed king. With the ensuing unification of Italy , and the mounting tension between Adolph and the rest of the family, the Naples house closed in 1863 after forty-two years in business. In 1901, the German branch closed its doors after more than a century in business following the death of Wilhelm Rothschild with no male heirs. It was not until 1989 that the family returned to Germany, when N M Rothschild & Sons,
14025-415: The difficulty, and above all the high cost, of transporting the minerals to the sea when there was still no railroad line and transporting them by pack animals was the only option. It was towards the end of the 19th century that the private initiative was interested in renting them again. In 1873, the mines were bought by English bidders — who created a consortium for its exploitation — from the government of
14190-539: The documentary holdings of the former company are located in Spain, stored in the Archivo Histórico Minero of the Río Tinto Foundation . They are grouped in the subgroup "Minas de Riotinto" and the classification table corresponds to the different departments of the company that produced the documentation: Personnel, Accounting, Management, Labor, Railroad, Medical Department, Topography, etc. Apart from
14355-490: The early 1900s, the Rio Tinto Company Limited was already in a strong financial position and began to invest in strategic sectors. In 1905, it founded a subsidiary, the Sociedad Española de Productos Químicos de Huelva , in charge of the production of artificial fertilizers and superphosphates . The company was based in Madrid and had a production plant in Huelva. Around 1907, the RTC signed an energy agreement with
14520-539: The extraction of different materials to create dyes. As early as 1556, the mines were about to be exploited again during the reign of Philip II , who needed to finance the numerous wars of the Empire. This attempt failed, since the studies of the time considered their exploitation unfeasible and unprofitable. In 1725, the Swede Liebert Wolters Vonsiohielm got the authorities to grant him the exploitation of
14685-545: The family, Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777–1836). In 1850, Nathaniel Rothschild moved to Paris to work with his uncle James Mayer Rothschild. In 1853, Nathaniel acquired Château Brane Mouton, a vineyard in Pauillac in the Gironde département . Nathaniel Rothschild renamed the estate Château Mouton Rothschild , and it would become one of the best known labels in the world. In 1868, Nathaniel's uncle, James Mayer de Rothschild, acquired
14850-402: The five brothers and their successor sons all but disappeared by World War I . The rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s led to a precarious situation for the Austrian Rothschilds under the annexation of Austria in 1938 when the family was pressured to sell its banking operation at a fraction of its real worth. While other Rothschilds had escaped the Nazis, Louis Rothschild was imprisoned for
15015-542: The five main European financial centres to conduct business. The Rothschild coat of arms contains a clenched fist with five arrows symbolising the five dynasties established by the five sons of Mayer Rothschild, in a reference to Psalm 127: "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth." The family motto appears below the shield: Concordia, Integritas, Industria (Unity, Integrity, Industry). Paul Johnson writes "[T]he Rothschilds are elusive. There
15180-487: The fortune in the family with carefully arranged marriages , often between first- or second- cousins (similar to royal intermarriage ). By the late 19th century, however, almost all Rothschilds had started to marry outside the family, usually into the aristocracy or other financial dynasties. His sons were: The German family name "Rothschild" is pronounced [ˈʁoːt.ʃɪlt] in German, unlike / ˈ r ɒ θ ( s ) tʃ aɪ l d / in English. The surname "Rothschild"
15345-459: The fumes from the teleras flooded the entire region and were sometimes visible in the mountains of Seville and even Ayamonte and Portugal ). Thus, since 1877 , the first complaints regarding this matter were made to the Government of Cánovas del Castillo . As a result, a Resolution was published on July 22, 1879, which, even though it imposed small indemnities for the damage caused to the crops in
15510-464: The future reduction in government borrowing brought about by the peace would create a bounce in British government bonds after a two-year stabilisation, which would finalise the post-war restructuring of the domestic economy. In what has been described as one of the most audacious moves in financial history, Nathan immediately bought up the government bond market, for what at the time seemed an excessively high price, before waiting two years, then selling
15675-529: The government was considerable, reaching a close relationship with the upper spheres of Spanish politics. During the restoration , speculation was rife about the role that Rio Tinto may have had both in the ministerial appointment of Manuel de Burgos y Mazo and in the dismissal of Ángel Urzaiz — the latter, as Minister of Finance, had attempted to introduce some tariff levies on the export of iron pyrite. The company also had its own newspaper in Huelva, La Provincia , that it controlled for some time. By 1917,
15840-551: The head of the house, is the true king of Judah, the prince of the captivity, the Messiah so long looked for by this extraordinary people. He holds the keys of peace or war, blessing or cursing. ... They are the brokers and counselors of the kings of Europe and of the republican chiefs of America. What more can they desire? The Neapolitan Rothschilds was the first branch of the family to decline when revolution broke out and Giuseppe Garibaldi captured Naples on 7 September 1860 and set up
16005-452: The heritage of the FRT. A study was carried out in 1990 on the possibilities of using the mining line for tourist purposes, although it was rejected due to its high cost. A second project, dated 1993, foresaw the rehabilitation of the railway line through several phases. Following these postulates, the recovery of the rolling stock and infrastructure was carried out, which included the restoration of
16170-530: The industrialisation of Europe and were instrumental in supporting railway systems across the world and in complex government financing for projects such as the Suez Canal . From 1895 through 1907 they loaned nearly $ 450,000,000 (equivalent to $ 14,700,000,000 in 2023 ) to European governments. During the 19th century, the family bought up a large proportion of the property in Mayfair , London. The Rothschild family
16335-576: The labor and "environmental" protests of the miners. Thus, on January 31, 1888, a demonstration led by the Cuban trade unionist Maximiliano Tornet arrived at the town's town hall to deliver a series of demands, among them the disappearance of open-air calcination . It was not until December 29 of the same year that the Government decreed that this type of calcination (already banned in Great Britain seven years earlier) should be reduced. Starting on February 2,
16500-400: The layout was George Barclay Bruce . The construction works were carried out in five different sections simultaneously over two years. The most complicated part of the project was between the Riotinto mines and the municipality of Niebla , a section where the route had to run parallel to the course of the Tinto River . In addition to the private land that the RTC acquired to lay the tracks,
16665-544: The lowest estimates, 41 palaces, of a scale and luxury perhaps unparalleled even by the richest royal families. The British Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George claimed, in 1909, that Nathan, Lord Rothschild was the most powerful man in Britain. Niles' Weekly Register , Volume 49 had the following to say about the Rothschilds' influence on international high finance in 1836: The Rothschilds are
16830-456: The main line with the facilities of the Peña del Hierro mine . Throughout its history, the main traffic of the railway consisted in the transport of ore, but the route would eventually be used for passenger traffic after the municipalities in the area requested it. Passenger services began in 1895, going through different stages. Passengers traveled free at first, through a system of passes granted by
16995-449: The main railway facilities of the line are located in the complex of Zarandas-Naya. The railway's rolling stock was one of the largest of all Spanish railways in its time. Throughout its history, it employed a total of up to 143 steam locomotives, 9 diesel traction locomotives and as many electric locomotives — the latter destined for subsurface travel in the mines. It had about 1,300 wagons of different types and about 2,000 mine cars for
17160-431: The management and ownership of the railway was transferred to the Compañía Española de Minas de Río Tinto (CEMRT), following the acquisition of the Rio Tinto mines and its facilities by Spanish capitalists. In 1970, management was taken over by the newly created Unión Explosivos Río Tinto (ERT) group. Due to the large volume of traffic it carried, the Riotinto Railway had a large fleet of vehicles and engines, becoming
17325-626: The management of the family bank and was the most active in support for Eretz Israel . The Rothschild family archives show that during the 1870s the family contributed nearly 500,000 francs per year on behalf of Eastern Jewry to the Alliance Israélite Universelle . Baron Edmond James de Rothschild (known in Israel simply as "the Baron Rothschild" or "the Benefactor" (Hebrew: "HaNadiv")), youngest son of James Jacob de Rothschild,
17490-467: The material preserved in Spanish territory, another part of the archives of the historical company is in the custody of the Rio Tinto plc in London. Riotinto Railway The Riotinto Railway was a Spanish narrow-gauge railway line, predominantly used for mining and industry, that operated between 1875 and 1984. During this time it became one of the main railways in the province of Huelva , gaining
17655-402: The mine, a "Gibraltar sui generis ", as the local writer and poet Juan Cobos Wilkins called it. The luxurious and exclusive Bellavista Neighborhood was built a few meters away from the excavations for the English personnel, which could be accessed after passing through a sentry box with guards; a Victorian style neighborhood that was equipped with tennis courts, golf courses, a own cemetery ,
17820-626: The mines it already operated in Africa, consolidated the diversification strategy that RTC had been undertaking for several decades. In 1962, the Rio Tinto Company Limited agreed to merge with Consolidated Zinc , giving rise to the Rio Tinto-Zinc Corporation . Concurrently, the Australian assets of the two companies were merged to form another company, Conzinc Riotinto of Australia. As the demonstrators, more than 12,000 in number, were huddled in
17985-415: The mines was significant, as evidenced by the three immense open-pit mines that opened up into the ground. Filón Sur in 1874, Filón Norte in 1892, and above all Corta Atalaya , in 1907, then the largest on the European continent. By 1909, RTC had a workforce of 16,973 workers at Riotinto, employing almost a third of the population of the mining basin. The growth of mining activities in Riotinto led
18150-624: The mines were acquired through direct sale by an international consortium created, among others, by three powerful families, the Mathesons, the Rothschilds and the Goldschimidt — owner of the Deutsche National Bank of Bremen. This consortium later found the Rio Tinto Company Limited, with a capital of six million pounds sterling . The purchase of the mines was accompanied by a concession from
18315-447: The mining basin. This meant a cheapening of these goods, which would translate into an improvement in the living standards of the area's inhabitants. In 1904, two new branches coming from downtown Riotinto came into service: one that reached Nerva and another that reached Zalamea la Real . Three years earlier, the State had authorized RTC to build the new routes, which sought to provide means of transportation to mine workers living in
18480-573: The most part, although some stations and bridges have remained unscathed. The track between the stations of Manantiales and Las Mallas has also disappeared. Much of this infrastructure dismantling can be attributed to the action of illegal scrap metal dealers, many of which proliferated after its abandonment during the 1980s. It should also be noted that an old section of the railway has been rehabilitated for cycling and pedestrian use, now called Vía verde de Riotinto , which runs between Zalamea la Real and Minas de Riotinto. The Riotinto Railway, which used
18645-399: The narrow adjacent streets and square with greater joy and confidence, the cavalry was ordered to withdraw from the place it occupied and immediately afterward a closed, immense discharge — with projectiles sweeping that human mass — sent the crowd in disorderly retreat, leaving many corpses and injured on the ground and ran through the streets shouting cries of terror and violent rage. Who gave
18810-477: The neighbouring Château Lafite vineyard. In Vienna , Salomon Mayer Rothschild established a bank in the 1820s and the Austrian family had vast wealth and position. The crash of 1929 brought problems, and Baron Louis von Schwartz Rothschild attempted to shore up the Creditanstalt , Austria's largest bank, to prevent its collapse. Nevertheless, during the Second World War they had to surrender their bank to
18975-437: The new kind of international bank created by the Rothschilds was impervious to local attacks. Their assets were held in financial instruments, circulating through the world as stocks, bonds and debts. Changes made by the Rothschilds allowed them to insulate their property from local violence: "Henceforth their real wealth was beyond the reach of the mob, almost beyond the reach of greedy monarchs." Johnson argued that their fortune
19140-495: The old line were largely dismantled, with the removal of tracks and crossties. Since the late 1980s, several initiatives were carried out to recover the railway infrastructures and stop their deterioration. In this context, the company Río Tinto Minera transferred its historical heritage assets to the Fundación Río Tinto (FRT), an entity created in 1987 that carried out many of these tasks. The railway line became part of
19305-540: The old railway route. In turn, some locomotives and wagons were taken to be exhibited at the Riotinto Mining Museum . In total, about eleven kilometers of track were restored to service. A very different scenario applied to the rest of the old railway line. The route between Los Frailes and Manantiales remained untouched; although its recovery was initially planned, over the years it has not happened. The track between Las Mallas and Huelva has been dismantled for
19470-532: The order to fire? So far it is not known. Was it the Governor? Was it the Military Chief? The unconscious soldiery, the stupid machine that obeys and kills, the soldier who directs the muzzle of the rifle to the town from where he left and to where he will return, enjoyed the sight of gunpowder and blood. With the testimony of hundreds of people who witnessed the event, we can affirm that the demonstrators did not utter
19635-422: The ore shipments. The new situation did not affect exports to the United Kingdom, but it did with France, which between 1936 and 1939 lost virtually all shipments of Riotinto pyrite. The measures imposed by Franco's authorities caused relations between the company and the administration to grow strained. Starting in 1940, the regime adopted a more interventionist line of action, initiating serious harassment towards
19800-871: The organization and transferred his Palestinian land holdings as well as 15 million francs to it. In 1924, he reorganized the Palestinian branch of the ICA into the Palestine Jewish Colonisation Association (PICA), which acquired more than 125,000 acres (50,586 ha) of land and set up business ventures. In Tel Aviv , the Rothschild Boulevard is named after him, as are a number of localities throughout Israel which he assisted in founding, including Metulla , Zikhron Ya'akov , Rishon Lezion and Rosh Pina . A park in Boulogne-Billancourt , Paris,
19965-454: The owning company. Although several studies were carried out by Río Tinto Minera in order to keep the railway in service, eventually it did not materialize. The line was closed to traffic in February 1984, after the last regular service had been carried out. On 8 February 1984, a train pulled by locomotive no. 911 ran on a route from Las Mallas to Riotinto, in order to remove empty wagons. After
20130-587: The partial reopening of the Riotinto Wailway in November 1994. A small section between Talleres Mina and Zarandas was initially reopened for service; in February 1997, the operating track was extended to Los Frailes station. From the historical rolling stock that was recovered during those years — including two steam locomotives — the Tourist Mining Train was formed, which offers recreational services along
20295-522: The prevailing situation, the company adopted a strategy of minimizing its activities at Riotinto, also imposing a restriction on expenses and dividend distribution among shareholders. From the 1920s, the Rio Tinto Company Limited began a policy of diversification of its investments and activities, acquiring several mines in British colonies in Africa. Around 1928, it was already investing heavily in sites located in Northern Rhodesia . Spain slowly lost
20460-471: The profits generated by its activities in Spain in 1928. The litigation lasted until 1931 and was not favorable to Rio Tinto. The Pilkington affair contributed to increase popular animosity towards the company. In 1929, ore extraction at Riotinto reached its historical maximum. The company made several investments in order to modernize its network of facilities, such as the railroad or the pier in Huelva, or to build new ones. However, in that same year also began
20625-490: The prominent position it once held within the company since 1873. The proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic , in 1931, was not welcomed by the management of RTC due to fears of an expropriation of the Riotinto mines. Throughout World War II, difficulties faced by the company led to various discussions regarding the sale of the mines to Spanish capitalists, although this possibility did not happen. After 1946, with
20790-405: The railway in the early 20th century led the company to introduce a series of modifications to allow dual traction, making it possible for larger convoys to circulate. This increase was up to 35% between 1907 and 1912, so the RTC had to buy new freight cars. There was a project to provide electricity to the general railway in order to save costs, although it was not implemented due to the outbreak of
20955-463: The railway's existence, diesel traction would eventually be introduced in an attempt to modernize the fleet. In this sense, the purchase in the 1960s of a Fried-Krupp tractor and several Creusot-type diesel locomotives stood out. To this was added the past acquisition of a series of pantograph electric locomotives for subway operation in the tunnel no. 16 of Naya and in the Filón Norte . In 1968,
21120-461: The region. When leaving the building the Pavia forces charge for fifteen minutes with shots and bayonets against the demonstrators resulting in a number of fatalities and wounded not officially known — ranging between 14 and 45 in the press and depending on whether it was the conservative or liberal media and today is estimated much wider. Where the bodies of the deceased were buried remains unknown, but it
21285-406: The rest of the journey. Dual traction was also adopted, allowing larger convoys to be moved and increasing the load carried. In 1929 the railway moved 1,740,854 tons of ore and 15,369 tons of cargo, a figure that constituted its historical maximum. It is noteworthy that the start of operations of the Riotinto railway allowed the arrival of certain products from the coastal area and the countryside to
21450-541: The rise in the international price of copper, the exploitation of the Huelva sites began to yield profits again. In the early 1950s, in a much more stable context, the old idea of selling the mines was taken up again. In June 1954, the negotiations that would lead to the sale of the RTC properties in Huelva to a group of financial institutions began: the Banco Español de Crédito , the Banco Hispano Americano and
21615-552: The route between Las Mallas and Huelva was closed to traffic, leaving the infrastructure inactive. From then on, the trains coming from the mines would reach the Las Mallas complex, where the ore would be loaded onto trucks and later transported from there to Huelva — destined for the new facilities of the Chemical park of Huelva . As a result of the new situation, a year later the Odiel river piers stopped operating, and this infrastructure
21780-515: The second half of the 19th century, the exploitation of province's various deposits passed into foreign hands, mainly British. Parallel to this process, a network of railway lines was built to connect the mines to the coastal ports, such as the Buitrón railway (1870) or the Tharsis railway (1871). The Riotinto basin, rich in pyrites and copper , was of special interest to the house of Rothschild . After
21945-458: The second largest in Spain after the RENFE . In the mid-1950s it had 120 locomotives, about 3,000 large-capacity freight cars or wagons, and various auxiliary material, such as cranes. In order to introduce new engine material, the RTC had acquired new Mogul type steam locomotives, colloquially known as "Gildas", which arrived in Spain in 1954. Although the use of steam locomotives prevailed for most of
22110-475: The sites, under lease, for thirty years. During that time, Wolters would exploit the mines together with his nephew and a Spanish associate. The mines returned to the State in 1783, to be managed by the State again until 1810, when they were closed due to the War of Independence . Between 1815 and 1823, only the sour waters were precariously exploited. The failure in mining exploitation during that period can be explained by
22275-438: The socialist government of François Mitterrand nationalised and renamed it as Compagnie Européenne de Banque. Baron David de Rothschild , then 39, decided to stay and rebuild, creating a new entity named Rothschild & Cie Banque , with just three employees and €830,000 (US$ 1 million) in capital. Today, the Paris operation has 22 partners and accounts for a significant part of the global business. Ensuing generations of
22440-530: The subject of conspiracy theories , many of which have antisemitic origins. The first member of the family who was known to use the name "Rothschild" was Isaak Elchanan Rothschild, born in 1577. The name is derived from the German zum rothen Schild (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "at the red shield", in reference to the house where the family lived for many generations (in those days, houses were designated not by numbers, but by signs displaying different symbols or colours). A red shield can still be seen at
22605-616: The sustainability of the business over the long-term. However, in the early 19th century, the Rothschild family of Naples built up close relations with the Holy See , and the association between the family and the Vatican continued into the 20th century. In 1832, when Pope Gregory XVI was seen meeting Carl von Rothschild to arrange the 1832 Rothschild loan to the Holy See (for £400,000, worth €43,000,000 in 2014), observers were shocked that Rothschild
22770-482: The third son of Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), first established a textile jobbing business in Manchester and from there went on to establish N M Rothschild & Sons bank in London. During the early part of the 19th century, the Rothschild family's London bank took a leading part in managing and financing the subsidies that the British government transferred to its allies during the Napoleonic Wars . Through
22935-527: The town councils tried to prohibit these procedures. But the government, influenced by the Company and conservative newspapers such as La Provincia (which had carried out an almost crusade in favor of mining) systematically repealed all municipal laws against the teleras . The degree of discontent with the situation was such that landowners and day laborers, who saw how their crops and traditional livelihoods were being lost and contaminated without remission, joined
23100-421: The towns of Nerva, El Campillo and Zalamea la Real, thus allowing them to continue to travel to and from the mining area. During this time, a total of 85,972 workers and 11,686 individuals (family members), as well as 48 tons of cargo, were transported each month on these branches. However, the operation of the branch lines was financially unprofitable. Between 1883 and 1913, another detour was operational, linking
23265-444: The tracks and the rehabilitation of stations such as Zarandas-Naya or Los Frailes . Since the former Río Tinto-Estación facilities had been dismantled, the rehabilitation of the railway Since the former Río Tinto-Estación facilities had been dismantled, the rehabilitation of the trackbed began near the former Talleres Mina , erecting a new railway enclosure in order to accommodate visitors and trains. These operations allowed
23430-426: The tracks that went to Nerva and Zalamea la Real converged. The general workshops and a large shunting yard were located in Huelva; the traffic of the entire network was also controlled from this station. Several signal cabins were also built along the route to control switches and signals. Currently, only a section of about 11 kilometers between the stations of Talleres Mina and Los Frailes remains operational, while
23595-488: The train in summer to travel to the company's beach in Punta Umbría Railway traffic was affected by the strikes of 1913 and 1920, that paralyzed activity in the Riotinto-Nerva mining basin. During the mining strike of 1920 the railway workers began a general strike and the line came to a standstill, with army soldiers arriving in the area having to take charge of its operation. The growth in traffic experienced by
23760-502: The transport of minerals and goods. The RTC also acquired 36 passenger cars for passenger traffic, as well as some railcars. Since 1987, the Río Tinto Foundation has managed to preserve part of the legacy railway heritage. Nowadays, steam locomotives no. 14 and 51, as well as diesel tractors no. 931, 932, and 933 remain in working order. Rothschild family The Rothschild family ( / ˈ r ɒ θ ( s ) tʃ aɪ l d / ROTH(S) -chylde German: [ˈʁoːt.ʃɪlt] )
23925-452: The two lines. In its early days rail traffic was irregular, since it depended on whether there were ships docked at the port to load ore. Another problem was locomotives getting worn out after many trips between Riotinto and Huelva due to the steep gradient between them. Beginning in 1895, the following system was adopted: locomotives based in Huelva would pull the trains to Gadea train station , where engines from Riotinto would take over for
24090-477: The wealth obtained from mining — it is estimated, for instance, to be half of the world's pyrite — departed quickly across the Atlantic to England , leaving a region in apparent progress but in reality, degraded by a fierce industrialization. Despite all this, the company's profits in the province were undeniable: in little more than eighty years it generated more than 54 million pounds of profit. The landscape impact of
24255-470: The wonders of modern banking ... we see the descendants of Judah, after a persecution of two thousand years, peering above kings, rising higher than emperors, and holding a whole continent in the hollow of their hands. The Rothschilds govern a Christian world. Not a cabinet moves without their advice. They stretch their hand, with equal ease, from [Saint] Petersburgh to Vienna, from Vienna to Paris, from Paris to London, from London to Washington. Baron Rothschild,
24420-402: The workers' children had to be taken in by other workers' families from Andalusia because they could no longer be fed at home due to the lack of wages and aid. The large English-speaking population settled in the area — mostly workers and managers of the Rio Tinto Company — allowed part of their cultural, social and sporting traditions to be implanted in the mining basin and even in the rest of
24585-429: The world, as well as in modern world history. The family's wealth declined over the 20th century, and was divided among many descendants. Today, their interests cover a diverse range of fields, including financial services, real estate, mining, energy, agriculture, winemaking , and nonprofits. Many examples of the family's rural architecture exist across northwestern Europe. The Rothschild family has frequently been
24750-582: Was a patron of the first permanent settlement in Palestine at Rishon-LeZion (1882). He also provided funding for the establishment of Petah Tikva as a permanent settlement (1883). Overall, he bought from Ottoman landlords 2–3% of the land. After Baron de Hirsch died in 1896, the Hirsch-founded Jewish Colonisation Association (ICA) started supporting the settlement of Palestine (1896), and Baron Rothschild took an active role in
24915-433: Was also abandoned. Starting in 1975, steam locomotives were definitively removed from traction work on the line, a role that was taken over by diesel locomotives. In May 1975 and April 1979, two new Alco model diesel engines were acquired (No. 911 and No. 912), which ended up performing well. During its final years, the railway traffic experienced such a decline that its exploitation ceased to be economically profitable for
25080-525: Was also to provide Nathan Rothschild time and again with political and financial information ahead of his peers, giving him an advantage in the markets and rendering the house of Rothschild still more invaluable to the British government. In one instance, the family network enabled Nathan to receive in London the news of Wellington's victory at the Battle of Waterloo a full day ahead of the government's official messengers. Rothschild's first concern on this occasion
25245-404: Was considered an expert in railways. Under the direction of Rice, important reforms in the main track and in the factory works (tunnels, bridges) were undertaken during the following years to facilitate the circulation of more powerful locomotives on the track. At the same time, two Garrat locomotives — that RTC had acquired some time before to boost traction — also started operations. In 1954,
25410-565: Was directly involved in the independence of Brazil from Portugal in the early 19th century. Upon an agreement, the Brazilian government should pay a compensation of two million pounds sterling to the Kingdom of Portugal to accept Brazil's independence. N M Rothschild & Sons was pre-eminent in raising this capital for the government of the newly formed Empire of Brazil on the London market. In 1825, Nathan Rothschild raised £2,000,000, and indeed
25575-421: Was generated to the greatest extent by Nathan Mayer Rothschild in London; however, more recent research by Niall Ferguson indicates that greater and equal profits also were realised by the other Rothschild dynasties, including James Mayer de Rothschild in Paris, Carl Mayer von Rothschild in Naples and Amschel Mayer Rothschild in Frankfurt. Another essential part of Mayer Rothschild's strategy for success
25740-400: Was harshly repressed by the army. While the central government and the company hushed up part of the event, it is believed that more than two hundred people were killed that day. The events were known in the province of Huelva as " El año de los tiros" ("The year of the shots"). The teleras (open-air calcination of low copper ore imposed in Spain by Gaspar Remisa decades before) were used in
25905-545: Was not required to kiss the Pope's feet, as was then required for all other visitors to the Pope, including monarchs. The 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia described the Rothschilds as "the guardians of the papal treasure". Jewish solidarity in the family was not homogeneous. Many Rothschilds were supporters of Zionism , while other members of the family opposed the creation of the Jewish state. In 1917 Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
26070-454: Was not to the potential financial advantage on the market which the knowledge would have given him; he and his courier immediately took the news to the government. That he used the news for financial advantage was a fiction then repeated in later popular accounts, such as that of Morton . The basis for the Rothschilds' most famously profitable move was made after the news of British victory had been made public. Nathan Rothschild calculated that
26235-412: Was not until 1907 when this method of calcination disappeared, being replaced by the construction of small smelters. Less known but also proof of the less poor system of management of the company were the strike of 1913 and, above all, the strike of 1920. With a duration of six months, the workers once again demanded rights that were held by colleagues in other Spanish mining districts. During this strike,
26400-476: Was probably discreetly involved in the earlier tranche of this loan which raised £1,000,000 in 1824. Part of the price of Portuguese recognition of Brazilian independence, secured in 1825, was that Brazil should take over repayment of the principal and interest on a £1,500,000 loan made to the Portuguese government in 1823 by N M Rothschild & Sons. A correspondence from Samuel Phillips & Co. in 1824 suggests
26565-575: Was the addressee of the Balfour Declaration to the Zionist Federation , which committed the British government to the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. His nephew , Victor, Lord Rothschild was against granting asylum or helping Jewish refugees in 1938. After the death of James Jacob de Rothschild in 1868, his eldest son Alphonse Rothschild took over
26730-518: Was the agreement that the RTC signed with the British Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Company Limited in 1911 whereby both companies shared customers. Practices carried out by the Rio Tinto Company Limited have been equated with those of a pressure group . From its early days, it made use of some deputies in the Cortes to act as intermediaries. However, from 1896, the RTC promoted the candidates of
26895-400: Was the builder and owner of the railroad line that connected the mines with the port of Huelva , where it built a commercial pier to facilitate the unloading and transport of the extracted material by sea. Likewise, the company had a great influence in the region and the province beyond the merely economic. The harsh working conditions of the miners led to numerous conflicts between them and
27060-488: Was to get the repeal of the Albareda decree , that had prohibited open-air ore calcinations in 1888 because of the pollutants they caused. Leveraging the context that prevailed in the late 19th century, the company managed to have a net of representatives in the province that defended its interests, including names such as José María Parejo Bécquer, José Sánchez Mora or José Valero Hervás . RTC had representation in Madrid before
27225-662: Was to keep control of their banks in family hands, allowing them to maintain full secrecy about the size of their fortunes. In about 1906, the Jewish Encyclopedia noted: "The practice initiated by the Rothschilds of having several brothers of a firm establish branches in the different financial centres was followed by other Jewish financiers, like the Bischoffsheims , Pereires , Seligmans , Lazards and others, and these financiers by their integrity and financial skill obtained credit not alone with their Jewish confrères, but with
#4995